Why is it that when you are gone for 5 days, it takes 2 weeks to get caught up in house work? Of course, I wasn't really caught up before we left. I just can't seem to get beyond "barely functioning." My kids are running out of clean clothes. I have boxes that I need to take to the garage. I don't have anything up on my walls. I have dishes piled up in the sink. I haven't dusted since we moved in. (Should I admit that publicly?) And you should see my bedroom. Wait, no you shouldn't.
I think today is the day that I finally feel motivated enough to pop in some upbeat music and get it done. Assuming, of course, Jack will stop hanging on my legs. I may be doing it 1-handed...
Ready, set, go.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
reunion
Saturday I drove to Poky to get together with some great friends from high school. Almost all of us were in choir together and it was so fun to see them! There were 14 kids (10 boys, 4 girls) from the 8 of us that have kids. It was so fun to catch up! Some of these girls I haven't seen for years.
Friday, July 31, 2009
lost
We went jet-skiing last night with Dave's company party. It was fun. See those $100 sunglasses on my handsome man? They are now at the bottom of the Snake River.
We went to a wedding today. See our adorable little girl who waited outside the Temple for us? She was lost in the Twin Falls Mall for a few minutes today.
We went to the mall after the wedding and while I was in a store trying on a few dresses we realized she was missing. There was a confusion with who she was supposed to be staying with, she ran off following Grandma, and didn't see her walk into a store. She kept running, yelling for Mommy and Daddy the whole way, til she got to the other end of the mall. Somebody found her and helped her get to the Security Guard station. Dave found her there.
She said later, "Those strangers wanted me to go with them, but I didn't obey them."
We told her that was the right thing to do.
I never did go back to buy that dress I liked.
We went to a wedding today. See our adorable little girl who waited outside the Temple for us? She was lost in the Twin Falls Mall for a few minutes today.
We went to the mall after the wedding and while I was in a store trying on a few dresses we realized she was missing. There was a confusion with who she was supposed to be staying with, she ran off following Grandma, and didn't see her walk into a store. She kept running, yelling for Mommy and Daddy the whole way, til she got to the other end of the mall. Somebody found her and helped her get to the Security Guard station. Dave found her there.
She said later, "Those strangers wanted me to go with them, but I didn't obey them."
We told her that was the right thing to do.
I never did go back to buy that dress I liked.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
a story for you
Yesterday, Ana found the pit of an apricot on the ground, which started a discussion on squirrels. She then told me the following story. I wish I could record her expressions and voice inflection. My interjections are in italics.
There was a little girl squirrel and I gave her this nut. And she ate the pit and it was so yummy. She had a mommy and a daddy and a sister. What are their names? They are both named Ana. And I slept over there. Cuz I have a crib there. And then it got windy. No, rainy. Did you get all wet? No. Why not? Cuz we all had umbrellas….
[She got distracted for a minute, but then a few minutes later...]
Let’s talk about the baby squirrel again.
Once upon a time, there was a baby squirrel. And I brought it home. And it was so tiny. And I gave it this nut, and it ate the pit and it was so yummy in her tummy. And then we had a sleepover at your house. And we slept in the big bed. And when we woke up, it was Sunday. What did you do on Sunday? We went to church. And there was a doctor there. Really? Yeah, and somebody died. Oh no, that’s sad. Yeah, but it came back. There was one in their tummy and it got bigger and bigger. And I had a cat and a dog. But they liked the squirrels. And I had lots of animals. And two squirrels came to our house. And they rode on a bicycle. And they wore helmets. And then a man gave them to me. And he opened the door, and I said, “Thanks, Man.” And then I fed this nut to a squirrel. It was a baby squirrel. Then the guy fed it to the squirrel. No the guy didn’t feed it to the squirrel, I did. And I fed the mama ones and the baby ones and the daddy ones. And I fed the cat catfood so the cats didn’t get ‘em. And a weirdo dog liked this [referring to the pit] and he ate it all in his tummy.
That was the end. I then had to go outside and move the water on the lawn, but she carried that pit around for a long time. I just had to write it down.
There was a little girl squirrel and I gave her this nut. And she ate the pit and it was so yummy. She had a mommy and a daddy and a sister. What are their names? They are both named Ana. And I slept over there. Cuz I have a crib there. And then it got windy. No, rainy. Did you get all wet? No. Why not? Cuz we all had umbrellas….
[She got distracted for a minute, but then a few minutes later...]
Let’s talk about the baby squirrel again.
Once upon a time, there was a baby squirrel. And I brought it home. And it was so tiny. And I gave it this nut, and it ate the pit and it was so yummy in her tummy. And then we had a sleepover at your house. And we slept in the big bed. And when we woke up, it was Sunday. What did you do on Sunday? We went to church. And there was a doctor there. Really? Yeah, and somebody died. Oh no, that’s sad. Yeah, but it came back. There was one in their tummy and it got bigger and bigger. And I had a cat and a dog. But they liked the squirrels. And I had lots of animals. And two squirrels came to our house. And they rode on a bicycle. And they wore helmets. And then a man gave them to me. And he opened the door, and I said, “Thanks, Man.” And then I fed this nut to a squirrel. It was a baby squirrel. Then the guy fed it to the squirrel. No the guy didn’t feed it to the squirrel, I did. And I fed the mama ones and the baby ones and the daddy ones. And I fed the cat catfood so the cats didn’t get ‘em. And a weirdo dog liked this [referring to the pit] and he ate it all in his tummy.
That was the end. I then had to go outside and move the water on the lawn, but she carried that pit around for a long time. I just had to write it down.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
get away
Our trip began on Wednesday morning. We kissed the kids off at Grandma's house (and they totally weren't sad because they LOVE Grandma) and then headed north to Missoula, MT via Sun Valley and Salmon. We stopped near Redfish lake and walked through the river. (see previous post picture.) It was a beautiful drive. We got to Missoula around 8 and then turned west to Couer d'Alene. We were kinda bummed that we drove through so much of Northern Idaho in the dark. We got to Round Lake State Park around 1 (I guess it was 12 with the time change). We pulled into the parking lot, rolled out our sleeping bags in the back of the truck and slept under the beautiful stars. The next morning we rode our bikes around the lake. It was a beautiful trail!
We then headed over the Sandpoint and up Schweitzer mountain. We were going to ride the ski lift up to the top and ride our bikes down, but wouldn't you know it, it started to rain and they closed the lifts. So we left. The view of Lake Pend Orielle was beautiful up there. Here's our "baby truck" (in the words of Ana) checking out the view. Dave rode his bike down the road back down. He beat me down, and I was going at least 30 mph.
That night we stayed at the south end of Priest Lake. If we had known how beautiful Priest Lake was we would have skipped Schweitzer altogether. It is crystal clear (you can see the bottom 20 ft down) and so picturesque. We went swimming early the next morning and even at 9:00 it wasn't too cold. We had the beach practically to ourselves.
We then headed over to Spokane, via Couer d'Alene. We weren't impressed with Couer d'Alene. Maybe because we only saw the "tourist trap" or maybe because we had already seen so many beautiful lake views, but Spokane we liked a lot. We went to the Temple, which was really nice. We stayed that night in a hotel, so we swam in the pool that night, and then rode our bikes around downtown Spokane the next morning. It was a pretty cool place.
The next day was Saturday and we headed South via Moscow and Lewiston. Lewiston was beautiful. The highway passes really high above Lewiston, but there is this crazy windy road down into the town. So we drove down there and visited Hell's Gate state park which had all sorts of interesting stuff about Lewis and Clark.
Along our drive we saw:
This cool battlefield. It spurned an interesting conversation about Native Americans and Manifest Destiny.
This beautiful gorge where we saw fish in the water and almost pulled out our fishing poles.
These beautiful white sand beaches along the Salmon River. We wanted to find a way to get to them, but we couldn't find the bridge.
And this:
We also saw a sign to Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area and thought, "let's go see it." Not a good idea. Sure the view from the top was beautiful, but we couldn't even see the Gorge itself (the deepest in North America) and the road up to it was an 8-mile, 1-lane, dirt and gravel switchback road up the side of the mountain with the plunging mountainside beside us the whole way. It was scary. Here was the view from the top. It doesn't do the top justice. It was pretty cool, but totally NOT WORTH THE DRIVE from Lucille, Idaho. I'm sure there is a much better way to get there and we totally want to go see the Canyon some day.
We ended up driving almost straight through the night. Our original plan was the camp Saturday night, but we passed the camp grounds and didn't feel like stopping, so we kept driving. About 12:30 we pulled off the road and slept in the cab for about 3 hours, and then Dave woke up and kept driving. While we were gone, the kids went to my parents house for a few days, and we pulled into their church parking lot in our Sunday clothes at 9:00 am for church. Boy were they surprised.
It was an awesome trip. We missed the kids, especially after I saw my life flash before my eyes while driving up that treacherous slope. And I could tell they missed us, too. But Dave and I had a stellar time. We talked and laughed a lot, listened to music, sang, and did whatever else we wanted. There were a few things we would've liked to do that we didn't have time for. Maybe another time. It was definitely needed. I'm glad Dave talked me into it.
We then headed over the Sandpoint and up Schweitzer mountain. We were going to ride the ski lift up to the top and ride our bikes down, but wouldn't you know it, it started to rain and they closed the lifts. So we left. The view of Lake Pend Orielle was beautiful up there. Here's our "baby truck" (in the words of Ana) checking out the view. Dave rode his bike down the road back down. He beat me down, and I was going at least 30 mph.
That night we stayed at the south end of Priest Lake. If we had known how beautiful Priest Lake was we would have skipped Schweitzer altogether. It is crystal clear (you can see the bottom 20 ft down) and so picturesque. We went swimming early the next morning and even at 9:00 it wasn't too cold. We had the beach practically to ourselves.
We then headed over to Spokane, via Couer d'Alene. We weren't impressed with Couer d'Alene. Maybe because we only saw the "tourist trap" or maybe because we had already seen so many beautiful lake views, but Spokane we liked a lot. We went to the Temple, which was really nice. We stayed that night in a hotel, so we swam in the pool that night, and then rode our bikes around downtown Spokane the next morning. It was a pretty cool place.
The next day was Saturday and we headed South via Moscow and Lewiston. Lewiston was beautiful. The highway passes really high above Lewiston, but there is this crazy windy road down into the town. So we drove down there and visited Hell's Gate state park which had all sorts of interesting stuff about Lewis and Clark.
Along our drive we saw:
This cool battlefield. It spurned an interesting conversation about Native Americans and Manifest Destiny.
This beautiful gorge where we saw fish in the water and almost pulled out our fishing poles.
These beautiful white sand beaches along the Salmon River. We wanted to find a way to get to them, but we couldn't find the bridge.
And this:
We also saw a sign to Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area and thought, "let's go see it." Not a good idea. Sure the view from the top was beautiful, but we couldn't even see the Gorge itself (the deepest in North America) and the road up to it was an 8-mile, 1-lane, dirt and gravel switchback road up the side of the mountain with the plunging mountainside beside us the whole way. It was scary. Here was the view from the top. It doesn't do the top justice. It was pretty cool, but totally NOT WORTH THE DRIVE from Lucille, Idaho. I'm sure there is a much better way to get there and we totally want to go see the Canyon some day.
We ended up driving almost straight through the night. Our original plan was the camp Saturday night, but we passed the camp grounds and didn't feel like stopping, so we kept driving. About 12:30 we pulled off the road and slept in the cab for about 3 hours, and then Dave woke up and kept driving. While we were gone, the kids went to my parents house for a few days, and we pulled into their church parking lot in our Sunday clothes at 9:00 am for church. Boy were they surprised.
It was an awesome trip. We missed the kids, especially after I saw my life flash before my eyes while driving up that treacherous slope. And I could tell they missed us, too. But Dave and I had a stellar time. We talked and laughed a lot, listened to music, sang, and did whatever else we wanted. There were a few things we would've liked to do that we didn't have time for. Maybe another time. It was definitely needed. I'm glad Dave talked me into it.
Monday, July 27, 2009
home again
After 26+ hours in the car, several beautiful lake views, mountain vistas and scenic routes, and 1 treacherous trip up the side of a mountain, Dave and I are home again from our trip up to northern idaho. It was beautiful and such a great time. In some ways it was a day too short, but I think our kids were ready for us to be home. More pictures and stories to come.
Monday, July 20, 2009
three
How did this:
Become this:
I can't believe my little girl is three. Well, I can believe it. Boy oh boy does she ever act like a three year old. Its gone by so fast, yet it seems a lifetime ago. Last night as I was walking through the house picking up last minute toys off the floor I had another "I can't believe that I am a mom" moment. There are so many days I worry about whether I'm doing a good job mothering this little girl. She has so much energy and intensity. (I wonder where she gets that?) We butt heads a lot of times. I really don't know what I'm doing with this one. But man she brings me so much happiness. Like when she says things like, "It makes her nervous." Or "You startled me, Mama." Or when she tells someone she wants a "pig - a piggy bank" for her birthday and then says, "but I don't have any money" with a big sigh. She hears and notices everything I say and do. Not a day goes by that she isn't willing to give me hugs and tell me she loves me. She talks all day long. If too people are talking in the room she says "excuse me" a million times louder and louder and louder until you respond. She loves playing with kids. She is just the right amount of cautious and outgoing. Everywhere she goes she meets friends, and everyday she wants her friends to come over. She could just play and play with friends all day long and wouldn't miss me a bit.
We celebrated her birthday all day on Saturday. She opened a present in the morning, a couple more after lunch.
That night we had family come over for cake and ice cream (pink, of course).
We also took her shopping for some new shoes (which she needed) and we brought her a long because boy does that girl love to try on shoes.
I could tell a million things that I love about this one. She is such a cool girl. She is willing to try anything. She is willing to share anything with her friends (and she doesn't quite understand why other people don't share back.) She doesn't stop moving all day long. She loves dancing, singing ( primary songs especially), drinking juice, going to Grandma's, swimming, playing outside, taking showers, talking, pretending she's a puppy, playing games like candyland and go fish, playing on the computer (we found some really simple point and click games at pbskids.org and Dave being the "tech-y" guy that he is just had to teach Ana how to use the mouse. I wasn't quite sure I was ready for her to know, but we only let her play for a few minutes a day.) She is the apple of her daddy's eye and he takes her everywhere he goes. She also slumps her shoulders and walks off when she's sad about something, throws a fit when we have to leave the park or a friend's house, tackles her brother (which sometimes he likes, sometimes he doesn't), has a hard time picking up her toys and obeying Mommy, and climbs in Jack's bed at night and bugs him while they are supposed to be going to sleep, (which sometimes he likes, sometimes he doesn't).
I remember thinking when she was born that this little baby was a strong spirit, and that is certainly true. Let's hope we steer it in the right direction.
Happy Birthday, Ana-girl!
Become this:
I can't believe my little girl is three. Well, I can believe it. Boy oh boy does she ever act like a three year old. Its gone by so fast, yet it seems a lifetime ago. Last night as I was walking through the house picking up last minute toys off the floor I had another "I can't believe that I am a mom" moment. There are so many days I worry about whether I'm doing a good job mothering this little girl. She has so much energy and intensity. (I wonder where she gets that?) We butt heads a lot of times. I really don't know what I'm doing with this one. But man she brings me so much happiness. Like when she says things like, "It makes her nervous." Or "You startled me, Mama." Or when she tells someone she wants a "pig - a piggy bank" for her birthday and then says, "but I don't have any money" with a big sigh. She hears and notices everything I say and do. Not a day goes by that she isn't willing to give me hugs and tell me she loves me. She talks all day long. If too people are talking in the room she says "excuse me" a million times louder and louder and louder until you respond. She loves playing with kids. She is just the right amount of cautious and outgoing. Everywhere she goes she meets friends, and everyday she wants her friends to come over. She could just play and play with friends all day long and wouldn't miss me a bit.
We celebrated her birthday all day on Saturday. She opened a present in the morning, a couple more after lunch.
That night we had family come over for cake and ice cream (pink, of course).
We also took her shopping for some new shoes (which she needed) and we brought her a long because boy does that girl love to try on shoes.
I could tell a million things that I love about this one. She is such a cool girl. She is willing to try anything. She is willing to share anything with her friends (and she doesn't quite understand why other people don't share back.) She doesn't stop moving all day long. She loves dancing, singing ( primary songs especially), drinking juice, going to Grandma's, swimming, playing outside, taking showers, talking, pretending she's a puppy, playing games like candyland and go fish, playing on the computer (we found some really simple point and click games at pbskids.org and Dave being the "tech-y" guy that he is just had to teach Ana how to use the mouse. I wasn't quite sure I was ready for her to know, but we only let her play for a few minutes a day.) She is the apple of her daddy's eye and he takes her everywhere he goes. She also slumps her shoulders and walks off when she's sad about something, throws a fit when we have to leave the park or a friend's house, tackles her brother (which sometimes he likes, sometimes he doesn't), has a hard time picking up her toys and obeying Mommy, and climbs in Jack's bed at night and bugs him while they are supposed to be going to sleep, (which sometimes he likes, sometimes he doesn't).
I remember thinking when she was born that this little baby was a strong spirit, and that is certainly true. Let's hope we steer it in the right direction.
Happy Birthday, Ana-girl!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
family fishing trip
We spent the day on Chesterfield Reservior with Dave's brother and wife and daughter. The weather was beautiful, the fishing was good, and the company was better. Ana loved it. Jack didn't mind until he got really tired. Between the 7 of us we caught 9 fish. The biggest fish was about 3 1/2 lbs which Ana caught on her own little fishing pole. At first Ana was a little scared of the worms and the floppy fish, but by the end, she was bringing the fish to Steve to clean and carrying the cleans ones back to the cooler. What a cool kid!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
haircut
I've never been too picky about my hair. I just want it to be easy to fix and look fixed. I got sick of my no-shape hair this week and decided to cut it. Its actually a little shorter than I had anticipated. About an inch longer and it would have been perfect. I haven't had hair this short since tenth grade. I'm happy with it.
Before
After:
The only thing I'm sad about is that my hat doesn't look as cute on me as it did before. Oh, well.
p.s. Don't you love my bedroom wallpaper. I know, its awesome.
Before
After:
The only thing I'm sad about is that my hat doesn't look as cute on me as it did before. Oh, well.
p.s. Don't you love my bedroom wallpaper. I know, its awesome.
Monday, July 13, 2009
our house
There is nothing quite like being in your own home. We're renting a little two-bedroom home with a ugly wallpaper, a washer and dryer, no dishwasher, and a big back yard with fruit trees. Its been really nice. Saturday we spent all day in the yard. It wasn't very well taken care of by the previous tenant and we have been working hard to get it looking nice.
Dave spent hours, and cut his hand, weed eating around the perimeter. All around the fences it looked like this:
Grandpa came over to help.
Jack ended up playing in the mud out front.
Ana ran through the sprinkler fully clothed.
It was a very satisfying day to spend working outside. I really want to get a swing for a tree we have, a hammock and a little slide and it will be such a great back yard! We just have a few more boxes to unpack and stuff to hang up on the walls and then we're all settled. Happy Day!
Dave spent hours, and cut his hand, weed eating around the perimeter. All around the fences it looked like this:
Grandpa came over to help.
Jack ended up playing in the mud out front.
Ana ran through the sprinkler fully clothed.
It was a very satisfying day to spend working outside. I really want to get a swing for a tree we have, a hammock and a little slide and it will be such a great back yard! We just have a few more boxes to unpack and stuff to hang up on the walls and then we're all settled. Happy Day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)